The United States Grand Prix featured exciting fights across the field, with Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz playing their part as they competed for several laps in a battle for fifth place.
Ricciardo prevailed in front of the Ferrari at the start after driving a three-way with Sainz and Lando Norris’ second McLaren on the first lap.
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At one point they touched, damaging the front wing of Sainz ‘Ferrari, causing the Spaniard to fall back and eventually lose a place to Valtteri Bottas, who crossed the finish line in seventh while Ricciardo stayed in an impressive fifth.
“Carlos put me under pressure the whole race and we had a really good fight on the first lap,” said Ricciardo. “We actually went back and forth three times, I think. I managed to get him and that set up my race and allowed me to fight for fifth place, that was really important.
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“And then a pretty good fight with him and let’s say a strong defense that I have to do to keep him up because I think realistically that if he had caught me I would have fallen back on Bottas and I think he probably would to do.” I had a much better chance of catching myself too, so fifth place could have quickly turned into seventh place. I am very happy to have a top five here in the great city of Austin, Texas. “
Sainz had shown strong pace all weekend but after being caught off the track in Q2 that didn’t improve in the second runs, he was forced to start the race on the soft – which gave him the advantage after the initial advantage Made short break a little exposed.
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On the tougher terrain, the Spaniard showed a pace on par with his teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth, but was too far behind, especially after a slow pit stop.
Carlos Sainz: “I tried everything to beat the McLarens in Austin”
“I was stuck behind Daniel for the whole race,” said Sainz. “I tried a few moves on him and almost made it, and then of course the slow pit stop that cost us, the undercut from him and we couldn’t make it. Yes, a tough case out there. “
Regarding the contact with Ricciardo, about whom he was annoyed on the team radio at the time, he said: “There was a little contact there, he pushed me a long way.
“Of course I was left out, so things like that will happen and it’s tough – fair, at the limit because he obviously kicked me out – and sometimes it’s a little too much. If we’d done a good pit stop, we would have undercut him and not fought against him. “
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